Keep up to date with all things astronomy related with Astronomy Now magazine, which includes the UK's biggest and best night sky guide, an extensive news section, readers' astronomical images, book and equipment reviews, feature articles, a beginners' section and much more. For a sneak preview of this month's issue go to our magazine page.

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Shuttle Movies

The most complete source of video from the countdown, launch and mission of space shuttle Discovery is available here! Spaceflight Now's STS-121 archive includes more than 200 movies you can watch online or download to your computer.Video Collection

Earth’s leaky atmosphereESA’s formation-flying Cluster satellites have discovered the physical mechanism that is driving the constant leak of oxygen out of Earth’s atmosphere and into space: the Earth’s own magnetic field. FULL STORY

The missing link between meteorites and asteroidsScientists have often wondered why only a tiny fraction of meteorites found on Earth match the vast majority of asteroids that orbit in our local neighbourhood, but new research suggests the solution could be in the Sun. FULL STORY

Clash of clusters provides new dark matter clueA dramatic collision between galaxy clusters captured by the Hubble and Chandra space telescopes provides striking evidence for the existence of dark matter as it separates from ordinary matter.FULL STORY

Cassini pinpoints source of Enceladus jetsThanks to an amazing new array of photographs of Saturn’s geologically active moon Enceladus, Cassini has pinpointed precisely the source of the icy jets seen erupting from the surface in previous fly-bys.FULL STORY

Opportunity to leave Victoria CraterAfter nearly a year of daring exploration within Victoria Crater, NASA’s Mars Exploration rover Opportunity is heading back out to the surrounding Martian plains to examine exposed ancient rock layers, and boulders thrown from massive impact events.FULL STORY

GLAST, renamed Fermi, reveals first all-sky imageNASA's newest space observatory GLAST has begun its mission of exploring the Universe in high-energy gamma rays and has been renamed the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope in honour of Professor Enrico Fermi, a pioneer of high-energy physics on which the mission is founded.FULL STORY

XMM discovers monster galaxy clusterESA's orbiting X-ray observatory XMM-Newton has discovered a cosmic needle in the haystack of space: the most massive galaxy cluster ever seen in the distant Universe, and one which confirms the existence of dark energy.FULL STORY

Generations of stars pose for family portraitIn celebration of Spitzer’s five years in orbit, a stunning new image reveals the family portrait of a star-forming inferno studded with multiple generations of brilliant stars, and provides dramatic new evidence that massive stars can trigger the birth of stellar newborns through their savage winds and radiation.FULL STORY

Phoenix digs into extended mission Today, the 90th Martian sol and the end of the originally planned primary mission, Phoenix will perform the challenging task of scooping up soil from the deepest trench ever dug on Mars.FULL STORY

The interplanetary

mapping maverick In an exclusive interview to coincide with the September issue ofAstronomy Now, the Planetary Science Institute's Dr Robert Gaskell discusses his innovative mapping technique that is bringing the diverse surfaces of the Solar System to life. FULL STORY

Solar System’s newest member points to ‘inner Oort Cloud’An ice-rock minor planet 30 to 60 miles in diameter, discovered two years ago between the orbits of Uranus and Neptune (each being a mean distance of 2.72 and 4.35 billion kilometres from Earth respectively) could be a member of the ‘inner Oort Cloud’.FULL STORY

The great Pluto debate continuesIn 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) reclassified Solar System objects such that Pluto became a dwarf planet, and in June of this year it was placed into the ‘plutoid’ sub-category. Now astronomers have reopened the debate at this week’s Great Planet Debate: Science as a Process conference.FULL STORY

Enceladus images “dazzling success” The images from Cassini’s latest maneuver around icy Enceladus are already back in terrestrial hands in what is said to be a “dazzling success” by Cassini Imaging Team Leader Carolyn Porco. FULL STORY

Partial lunar eclipse this SaturdayFollowing hot on the heels of the solar eclipse at the start of the month is a partial lunar eclipse, gracing our evening skies on Saturday 16 August. FULL STORY

Cassini swoops past EnceladusThe Cassini spacecraft flew by Saturn’s enigmatic moon Enceladus on Monday to get a closer look at the ‘tiger stripe’ features and associated icy jets that emanate from the fractures, and has begun sending data back to Earth. FULL STORY

Perseids hit maximum

this weekThe evening of the 12th August and morning of the 13th August will see the annual maximum of the Perseid meteor shower. Download Astronomy Now’s Perseid Observing Log and help tell the story of this year’s display. FULL STORY

Hubble celebrates 100,000 trips around the EarthThe Hubble Space Telescope is today celebrating its 100,000th orbit around the Earth since its launch over 18 years ago, with the release of a spectacular image of a fantasy-like landscape embellished with scenes of stellar birth and renewal. FULL STORY

Computer simulations put Solar System in its placeTraditional theories of Solar System formation assume our neighbourhood to be pretty run of the mill, but in a new study using data from 300 exoplanets discovered orbiting other stars, our planetary haven turns out to be one of a kind.FULL STORY

Dark matter clumps and streams in Milky WayUsing powerful supercomputer simulations, researchers have reason to believe that dense clumps and streams of dark matter lurk in the inner regions of the Milky Way’s galactic halo, in the same neighborhood as our Solar System.FULL STORY

Globular clusters reveal secrets of galactic cannibalismThousands of globular clusters more than five billion years old have been resolved in the Virgo cluster of galaxies by the Hubble Space Telescope, providing detailed information about their creation and existence. FULL STORY

Martian salts analysed for habitability potentialPhoenix mission scientists are currently investigating perchlorate salts detected in soil analysed by the wet chemistry laboratory, but the jury is still out as to the importance of the discovery for life on Mars. FULL STORY

Cosmic ghost haunts

Galaxy Zoo A volunteer in the Galaxy Zoo campaign has identified the most mysterious and unique object found yet amongst the menagerie of one million galaxies available for online classification by armchair astronomers across the globe: a cosmic ghost. FULL STORY

Rosetta sets Steins in sights ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft has begun its survey of asteroid (2867) Steins at a distance of 24 million kilometres, in preparation for a much closer encounter next month.FULL STORY

The very first starsThanks to a revolutionary new computer simulation created by astrophysicists from Japan and America, the very first instance that stars breathed light on the Universe have been mimicked. FULL STORY

Phoenix tastes water

on MarsAfter weeks of struggling to deliver a sample of icy soil to Phoenix’s onboard laboratory, the lander’s ovens have finally received their bounty and provided the first direct evidence for water on Mars. FULL STORY

Michio Kaku is professor of theoretical physics at City College New York. He is a best-selling author and TV presenter. Two of his most recent programs were shown on BBC Four and his latest book Physics of the Impossible (Allan Lane) is on sale now. Astronomy Now's Kulvinder Singh Chadha talks to the man who dreams about the impossible.READ MORE

2008 YearbookThis 132-page special edition features the ultimate observing guide for 2008, a review of all the biggest news stories, in depth articles covering all aspects of astronomy including astrophotography, the future of the Sun and space missions for 2008, and much, much more.U.K. STOREE.U. STOREU.S. & WORLDWIDE STORETake the tour!A 100-page special edition from the creators of Astronomy Now magazine, The Grand Tour of the Universe takes readers from one end of the Universe to the other and, in doing so, asks the question "just how big is the Universe?"U.K. STOREE.U. STOREU.S. & WORLDWIDE STOREInfinity RisingThis special publication features the photography of British astro-imager Nik Szymanek and covers a range of photographic methods from basic to advanced. Beautiful pictures of the night sky can be obtained with a simple camera and tripod before tackling more difficult projects, such as guided astrophotography through the telescope and CCD imaging.U.K. STOREE.U. STOREU.S. & WORLDWIDE STOREGuide to the ConstellationsAstronomy Now presents
this 100-page, full-colour guide to the 68 constellations visible from the British
Isles by Neil Bone, the respected amateur astronomer and writer.U.K. STOREE.U. STOREU.S. & WORLDWIDE STOREExploring MarsAstronomy Now is pleased to announce the publication of Exploring Mars. The very best images of Mars taken by orbiting spacecraft and NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers fill up the 98 glossy pages of this special edition!U.K. STOREE.U. STOREU.S. & WORLDWIDE STORE